Supporting device



Nov. 3, 1953 H. L. ERICSON 2,657,888

SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 22, 1950 3 Sheets-$heet l INVENTOR. mcd n/r Nov. 3, 1953 H. ERICSON 2,657,838

SUPPORTING DEV-ICE Filed Aug. 22, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2) Zia IIIII INVENTOR.

Nov. 3, 1953 H. ERICSON SUPPORTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 22, 1950 M a 4 Z 1 3 2 a a w M 3 w 7/ M "I a I m 4mw ll m 4 2 I my 4 I: z: a 4

Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UN I TED STATES PATENT F Fl CE 2,657,888 SUPPORTING DEVICE Harold L. Ericson, Chibagmlll. Application August 22, lssmiseiial No. 18 0, 860

6 Claims.

7 This invention relates to supporting devices and more particularly to a standused for supporting a pole or "Christmas tree and the like in an upright position. f

Various stands of this type have heretofore been proposed which are of such design 'as to be clumsy and awkward 'to handle, do not "enable the supported object, when it is nonsymmetrlcal inshape or unbalanced in weight, to be tiltably adjusted so as to attain proper verticalposition, or fail to provideample-support for the object.

Generally these prior stands were secured to the stub of the tree orpole by means or nails or screws. However, particularly in Christmas trees, the branches near the bottom of] the trunk are normally close together or very full so as to make the nails or screwsquite inaccessible i'o'r driving orscrew'ing them intothe stub.

Thus it is one of the objects oi. this invention to provide a stand which does not require nails or screws to be used 'in'securing the stand to the supported object. 1 g

It isa further object of this'invention to provide a stand which will readily enable the supported object to be tiltably adjusted so as to "attain proper vertical position. v I g It is a further object of this invention to provide a stand which will afford ample support to a wide variety of supported objects of various sizes and shapes. p p I It is a still further 'objectof this invention to provide a stand which is simple and compact in construction, effective in operation, and inexpensive to produce.

Further objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of c this invention, a device is provided comprising 'a horizontal base having a guide plate mounted thereon and spaced thereabove. Disposed above the guide plate is a tree trunk-engaging member which is adapted to assume various positions of tilted adjustment with respect to said plate. Extending upwardly from the base and in cooperative engagement with the trunk-engaging member are a plurality of jaws. Adjustably mounted on the trunk-engaging member and in cooperative engagement with the base is an element which is adapted to actuate the jaws into or out of gripping relation and effect locking and unlocking of the trunk-engaging member in a position of tilted adjustment.

For a more complete understanding of this in- 2 'vention reference should be made to the drawings wherein p I Fig. 1 is a perspective view or the stand; 'Fig. 2 is a toppl'an view of the stand; I V Fig. 3 is a side 'elevational view oi. the "stand 'showingin' dotted lines the trunk-engaging memlber'a'nd jaws in a changed position when the latter are in gripping relation;

lf'ig. 4 is 'a sectional view 'alongline 4 l ofFigq2; V I H Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryfsectional 'view of the stand taken along lineI-J of Fig.3; I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the stand taken along'line Bf-fl; of Fig. 3; p

Fig, 7 is a fragmentary "bottom view of the standt'aken along'line If- 1 of Fig. 3; 7

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the stand showing the trunk-engaging member in one position of tilted adjustment with respect to a verticalline; p r

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary bottom view of the stand shownin Fig. 8;

"Fig. ;10 is a side elevational view -01 theclamping' and holding element; and k liig. ll is a perspective view of theslider piece. Referring now to the drawings and more par, ticularly to Fig. 1 a tree or pole supporting-stand shown comprisinga base 20, a guide plate '2! mounted on and-abov'e Isaidb'ase, a plurality of gripping jaws 22 22b and 220 mounted on baseio'and extending upwardly and convergente ly therefrom, and a trunk-engaging member 23 supported bythe'gripping jaws-in a position above and "in cooperative engagement with the guide plate 21. I A 'ase "in this instance is formed of rod lilte material and isof substantially triangular shape. One of the gripping jaws 22a, 22b, and 220 is mounted at each of the corners of thesbase, as shown in Fig. i. The portions 24 of the base, intermediate the corners thereof, are flared outwardly a slight amount in order to provide a ilrmeriooting for thestand. I

The'guide plate It, which is disposed above the base 20 is heldfir spaced relation therewith by a plurality "of supporting straps or braces 25a, 26b and No. A place is secured at its lower end to each of the "corners of the base and extends angularl-y upwardly therefrom. The upperend of each brace is secured by means of ascrew or rivet 26 to a laterally extending tongue 21 formed on the plate 2|. In' this instance the brace and the jaw which are secured to the same corner or the base are of integral construction, however, they are not 'to be limited to this particular conof the stand taken struction but may be separate pieces and independently secured to the base 20. The guide plate 2| is substantially disc-shaped and is provided with a center aperture 28. A downwardly extending rim or flange 30 is formed on the underside of the plate, which surrounds the aperture 25. The guide plate 2| is held in a substantially fixed position with respect to the base by the braces a, 25b, and 250.

The gripping jaws 22a, 22b, and 220 are of like construction and, as heretofore mentioned, extend upwardly and convergently from the respective corners of the base 20. The upper end portions 32a, 32b, and 320, of the jaws are curved downwardly a slight amount and extend through suitable openings 3| formed in the trunk-engaging member 23, as seen more clearly in Fig. 4. The end portions 32a, 32b, and 320 of the jaws terminate within member 23. The jaws are in the form of narrow strips preferably of spring steel and have the terminating ends thereof notched or serrated to form teeth 33. Upon movement of member 23 downwardly to position as shown in Fig. 3, the jaws are urged into biting relation and the teeth 33 are caused to penetrate the stub portion of the tree trunk. As the teeth 33 penetrate the stub portion, a downward force is exerted on the tree by reason of the curved end portions 32a, 32b, and 320 of the jaws thereby causing the stub to seat more firmly within member 23.

The trunk-engaging member 23 comprises a cup element 34 having the upper open end portion thereof provided with a reenforcing rim 35. Formed in the upper end portion of the cup element 34 and beneath rim 35 are the openings 3| through which the jaws project. The lower portion 36 of the cup 34 is substantially conical or tapered in shape. The conical shape of the lower portion 35 aids the tree stub in properly centering itself within the cup. Extending downwardly from the bottom 31 of the cup is a threaded stud 38 which is adapted to project through the opening 28 formed in guide plate 2| and terminate therebeneath. The cup 34 is watertight and thus enables liquid to be placed therein so as to provide moisture for the tree while being supported by the stand.

The tree-engaging member 23 may be moved downwardly relative to the guide plate 2| and to various tilted positions with respect to an imaginary pivot point which is coincident with the axis of stud 38 and disposed slightly above the curved end portions 32a, 32b, and 32c of the jaws. This tilting feature of the stand is important in that it enables the tree to be shifted so that it will be properly balanced and will appear to be in proper perpendicular position with respect to the floor.

The gripping jaws are actuated into gripping relation and the tree-engaging member 23 is held in a relatively fixed position with respect to the guide plate 2| by means of a clamping and holding nut-like element 4|) which is threadably mounted on stud 38. The element 40, as more clearly seen in Fig. 10, has the upper portion 42 thereof substantially funnel-shaped. A knurled collar 43 is provided on upper portion 42 so as to enable the element to be readily turned manually to its proper relative position on the stud 38. The lower portion of the nut is in the form of a sleeve 44 which is adapted to be embraced by a slider piece 4|. A shoulder 45 is provided at the lower end of the sleeve against which the slider piece 4| rests. Formed centrally of the sleeve is a neck portion 43 which is of a reduced diameter compared to the normal diameter of the remainder of the sleeve. The purpose of the neck portion 46 will become apparent when the slider piece 4| is hereinafter discussed.

The slider piece 4 as seen more clearly in Fig. 11, is substantially triangular in shape and as above mentioned is adapted to embrace the sleeve portion 44 of elements 40 and be positioned intermediate the shoulder 45 thereof and the rim 30 formed on underside of the guide plate 2| as seen in Figs. 1 through 9. The surface 50 of the slider piece which abuts the rim 30 is concave in form so as to enable the piece to be readily moved relative to the guide plate 2| when the trunk-engaging member 23 is moved to one of its positions of tilted adjustment. The center of curvature of the surface 50 is coincident with the imaginary point, heretofore referred to, about which member 23 tilts.

The slider piece 4| is provided with an open end slot 41. The inner or terminating end 45 of the slot 41 is disposed substantially centrally of the piece and is slightly enlarged with respect to the remainder of the slot 41. The open end portion of slot 41 is of a width slightly larger than the diameter of the neck portion 45 formed on sleeve 44. The width of this portion of the slot, however, is less than the normal diameter of the sleeve. The terminating end 48 of slot 41 is slightly greater in size than the normal diameter of the sleeve 44. Therefore, with this variance in the width of the slot 41, the slider piece 4| cannot be brought into or out of embraceable relation with sleeve 44 unless the open end portion of slot 41 is aligned with the neck portion 46 of the sleeve. A depending rim 50' is formed on the underside of the slider piece 4| which surrounds the terminating end 48 of the slot 41. The rim 50', when the piece 4| is in embraceable relationship with the sleeve portion 44 of the element 40, abuts the shoulder 45 formed at the bottom of the sleeve.

The resilient jaws 22a, 22b, and 220 normally tend to exert an upward force on member 23, thus causing slider piece 4| to positively engage izallie rim 30 formed on the underside of guide plate When a tree is to be supported by the stand. the nut-like element 40 is rotated by hand to cause it to move downwardly relative to stud 34 an amount sufllcient to cause the jaws 22a, 22b. and 220, to spread apart enough so as to allow the stub of the tree to be seated within cup 34. The tree is then manually held in its approximately upright position while the nut-like element 40 is manually rotated to cause it to move upwardly onto stud 38 with which it is in threaded engagement. Rotation of member 40 is continued until the jaws are brought into a partiallygripping relation with respect to the stub whereupon further manual holding of the tree is not required. The cup 34, with the tree stub seated therein. is then manually moved to the necessary position of tilted adjustment. to obtain the proper vertical position of the tree. When the proper vertical position is obtained, the nut-like element 40 is drawn up tight on stud 35, so as to lock the cup 34 and slider piece 4| in their proper relative position with respect to the guide plate, and also to cause the jaw teeth 33 to be firmly imbedded in the tree stub. The tree is thus securely held in position in the base.

To disengage the stand from the tree, the nutlike element 40 is once again manually rotated to cause it to move downwardly relative to the stud 38 until the jaw teeth are clear of the tree stub.

Thus it will be seen that a supportin stand has been provided which may be quickly and easily secured to the object to be supported. Furthermore, fastening devices such as nails or screws are not required. Also the stand enables the supported object to be readily moved to various positions of tilted adjustment in order to obtain the proper V'er'tial 'p'bs'iti'dii thereof.- I

, While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be'iihderstood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A tree-supporting device comprising a horizontal base, a horizontal apertured guide plate mounted on said base and vertically spaced therefrom, a tree trunk-receiving cup-like member vertically disposed with respect to said plate and adapted to assume various positions of angular adjustment with respect thereto, said member having a downwardly extending threaded stud which projects through said apertured plate, trunk-gripping jaws resiliently mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom into supporting engagement with said member, and means cooperating with said stud and plate for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and cheating locking and unlockin of said member in one of said positions of angular adjustment; said means comprising an adjusting element threadably mounted on said stud and having a portion thereof disposed beneath said plate, said portion having a bearing shoulder formed thereon, and a slider piece engaging said element and resting on said bearing shoulder, said piece adapted to assume a relatively fixed abutting relation with the underside of said plate upon threading of said element onto said stud.

2. A tree-supporting device comprising a horizontal base, an apertured guide plate mounted on said base and disposed in a horizontal plane vertically disposed with respect to said plate, and

a trunk-engaging member disposed above and in cooperative engagement with said guide plate and adapted to assume various positions of angular adjustment with respect thereto, said member having a downwardly extending threaded stud, said stud extending through said aperturecl plate and terminating therebeneath, trunkgripping jaws extending upwardly and convergently from said base into supporting engagement with said member, and means cooperating with said stud and said plate for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and effecting locking and unlocking of said member in one position of angular adjustment; said means comprising a sleeve-like element threadedly mounted on said stud and having the lower end portion thereof provided with an annular collar which is disposed beneath said plate and having the upper end portion thereof formed for hand-engagement to effect manual rotation thereof, and a slider piece mounted on said sleeve element and resting on said annular collar, said piece being normally in slidable engagement with said plate and adapted to assume a nonslidable engagement with said plate upon threading of said element on said stud.

'3. A tree supportifig device comprising a non;- z'cntal base having the center portion thereof raised and provided with an opening, a tree trunk-engaging member disposed above said base and having anelong'ated depending portion extending through said opening, said member ada ted to assume various ositions of angular ad ustmentwith respect to saidbase, truiimgrlpping jaws resiliently mounted on said base and extending upwardly and convergently therefrom into supporting engagement with said member, and means ad ustably mounted on said depending ortion of aid member and in cooperative engagement with the center portion of said base for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and elfecting locking and unlocking of said member in positions of angular adjustment; said means comprising an element adjustably mounted on said elongated depending portion for movement longitudinally thereof, and a piece carried by said element and normally in slidable engagement with the underside of said center portion of said base; said piece adapted to assume a relatively fixed position with respect to said center portion upon relative upward movement of said element on said member.

4. A tree-supporting device comprising a horizontal base having a raised center portion provided with an opening, a tree trunk-engaging member disposed above said center portion and adapted to assume various tilted positions with respect to said base, said member provided with a depending stud which extends through said opening, trunk-gripping jaws resiliently mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom into cooperative engagement with said member. and means adjustably mounted on said stud and in cooperative engagement with said center portion for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and effecting locking and unlocking of said member in positions of tilted adjustment.

5. A tree-supporting device comprising a horizontal base having a raised center portion provided with an opening, a tree trunk-engaging member disposed above said center portion and adapted to assume various tilted positions with respect to said base, said member provided with a depending stud which extends through said opening, trunk-gripping jaws resiliently mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom into cooperative engagement with said member, and means adjustably mounted on said stud and in cooperative engagement with said center portion for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and effecting locking and unlocking of said member in one position of tilted adjustment, said means comprising a manually operated element mounted on said stud for longitudinal movement with respect thereto, and a slider piece carried transversely on said element and having one surface thereof concave and adapted normally to slidably engage the underside of said center portion adjacent said opening.

6. A tree-supporting device comprising a horizontal base having a raised center portion provided with an opening, a tree trunk-engaging member disposed above and in cooperative engagement with said center portion, and adapted to assume various tilted positions with respect to said base, said member having a downwardly extending threaded stud which projects through the opening of said center portion, trunk-gripping jaws resiliently mounted on said base and extending upwardly and convergently therefrom into cooperative engagement with said member,

and means adjustably mounted on said stud and in cooperative engagement with said center portion for actuating said jaws into and out of gripping relation and effecting locking and unlocking 01 said member in one of said positions of tilted adjustment; said means comprising a sleeve-like element threadably mounted on said stud having the lower end thereof provided with an annular shoulder and the upper end thereof provided with a hand-engageable collar, and a slotted slider piece embraceably engaging said element and resting against said annular shoulder; said piece having one surface theroi concave and adapted normally to slidably engage the 8 underside of the center portion adjacent said opening and adapted to assume a relatively fixed position with respect to said underside upon threading of said element on said stud.

HAROLD L. ERICSON.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10 1,481,015 Klein Jan. 15, 1924 1,533,739 Karr Apr. 14, 1925 1,799,513 Hill Apr. 7, 1931 2,476,225 Schroeder July 12, 1949 

